Infinity Welcomes Careful Drivers by Grant Naylor

Author:Grant Naylor [Naylor, Grant]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Science Fiction
ISBN: 9780451452016
Google: a3TZAAAAMAAJ
Amazon: 0451452011
Publisher: Unknown
Published: 1992-08-31T15:00:00+00:00

TWELVE

The Navicomp Chamber was fogged with acrid smoke from the melted insulating wires, and a thick cable swung from the ceiling, jumping and sparking like a dying electric python. A manic high-pitched screeching from the wounded navigation computer rose and fell as around the perimeter of the chamber monitor screens popped and shattered one by one.

Lister, his eyes streaming, fumbled for the bypass unit strapped to the wall and, following Holly's shouted instructions, dragged it across the broken glass and hooked it up to the main terminal.

He opened the bypass casing. Inside were twelve switches.

'Start at the one numbered twelve,' Holly was yelling, 'and leave a one second gap between each switch.'

He closed his eyes and rested his finger on the twelfth switch.

He flicked it down.

The pitch of the walling navicomp . increased by an octave. A green light flickered on beside the number twelve.

He moved his finger across to the eleventh switch.

Click.

Eeeeeeeeee. Another octave higher.

A green light.

The tenth switch.

Click.

The console monitor above Lister's head exploded, and vomited shards of glass into the smoke.

Another green light.

The switch numbered nine,.

Another green light.

Eight.

Then seven.

And that was half way.

Number six.

Click.

A red light.

'Turn it off,' Holly said. 'Turn it off before...'

Lister flicked it off, waited, and flicked it back on.

Eeceeeeeeeeeeee.

Green.

Five to go.

A maximum of five seconds before his purple knobbly thing was destined to fly across the room.

Click.

Click.

Click.

Just two left. Two little switches.

Lister wanted it to happen now. The penultimate switch.

He didn't want to have to flick on the last one knowing.

Knowing it would be the one to kill him. He wanted to have that slight element of surprise. But he was disappointed.

Click.

Green light.

E E E E E EEEEEEEEEER

The pitch of the screeching navicomp was now so high it was almost beyond his hearing threshold. Hardly a noise - more a feeling. A pointed squeal, a maniac sawing away at the top of his skull. Black smoke thrust its arm down his throat and started to yank out his lungs.

Lister stared at the last switch.

He rested his finger on it and felt its smoothness.

Then he screamed.

He screamed and pressed it.

And nothing.

Just silence.

Then a red light, that flickered to green, then back to red.

And then steady, steady green.

GREEN.

There was a huge BOOM!

Followed by a second huge BOOM!

And a third.

And Lister realised it was his heartbeat.

He sucked deeply at the foul, smoke-laden air. It tasted good.

And for the second time in twenty-four hours he did the touch-up shuffle. His feet rooted to the spot, he swayed from his waist and moved his arms in counter-motion.

He was alive.

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